Of Starlit Nights
by GlazedTowers
Summary: Aika expected to walk into the Hunter Exam, pass and leave with a brand new Hunter License. She did not expect to end up befriending her former teacher's son, or that silver haired assassin.
1. Through X Zaban X Tunnel

_**The disclaimer is on my profile.**_

 **Author's note**

 **[Edited 18/11/17]**

 **We all hate A/N's so I'll get straight to the point. This is a Hunter x Hunter fanfic with an OC (non self-inserted). The events will deviate from canon starting from the Exam's Third Phase (aka Trick Tower), but I will be writing Whale Island and Greed Island Arcs, possibly Chimera Ants too.**

 ***Memory Refresher***

 _ **Nen**_ **\- Aura, power usually shown to hunters that grants almost supernatural abilities**

 _ **Ten**_ **\- Shroud surrounding the user prevents their aura from leaking away from their body**

 _ **Zetsu**_ **\- Conceals Nen, Stops it's flow through the user's body so they become imperceptible**

 _ **Ren**_ **\- Basically a blast of aura around one's body.**

 _ **Hatsu**_ **\- Nen ability, A person's individual use of Nen, Each person has their own particular way of using their Aura**

* * *

They were two hours into the First Phase of the Hunter Exam, which consisted of running non-stop for tens of kilometres on end through the long Zaban Tunnel. Many participants had already dropped out. Others were closely behind the examiner, following him with confidence and showing no sign of slowing down. Some were running with difficulty, an example of that being Leorio. He was already sweating bullets when a spiky-haired boy happened to...

Glide past him. On a skateboard.

He did the one thing that seemed logical to him; he snapped.

"Hey! Wait up, kid!"

A few meters in front of them, a small, hooded girl's ears perked up at the commotion. Pearl coloured ribbons were tied around her wrists, ribbons from which four round silver bells- two on each wrist- were attached, jingling rhythmically to her running. A slender hand lifted to cover her amused smile when the child asked innocently 'Why?' at the man's accusations of cheating. The movement caused a slightly louder chime.

Every five seconds, a wave spread around her in a circular shape before returning to her, wave that was imperceptible to everyone but four people; #44, #301, the examiner and of course, herself.

"This is an endurance test!" The man clamoured.

"No, it isn't."

The girl blinked when a boy with impossibly spikier hair said the phrase at the same time as she had. _Is his hair even affected by gravity?! Are they reverse gravitational or something?!_ He was wearing boots that seemed uncomfortable to run in and carried a fishing rod. She stopped running, letting the bickering participants catch up to her. She dubbed them Skateboard boy, Fisher boy and Suitcase dude.

C for creativity, E for effort.

"Whose side are you on, eh?!" Suitcase dude yelled, probably feeling very betrayed.

She started running again when Fisher boy reached her right side and she tilted her head in confusion when Skateboard boy slowed down so that he was right beside them.

"Hey, how old are you?"

"Twelve years old."

She blinked again at their simultaneous answer. He did the same.

Skateboard boy made a 'hm' sound, then flipped the skateboard beneath his feet and launched it up so that he caught it as it fell, simultaneously falling into a fast jog.

"Woah! That was cool!" Fisher boy beamed at the other.

"I'm Killua," said Skateboard boy.

"I'm Gon," Fisher boy replied.

Two sets of eyes, one sky blue and the other amber gold, turned towards her, expecting an answer. After hesitating for a few seconds, she reached for her hood and pulled it down. She had long lilac hair tied into a thick French braid. Two feathers were hanging from the back of her head, feathers the same shade as her indigo eyes.

"I'm Aika. Nice to meet you." She stated with a smile.

"Nice to meet you too."

The boys blinked at their simultaneous reply before all three of them chuckled, realizing how in sync they were.

Meanwhile, Leorio cursed inwardly, thinking they were making a fool out of him.

XX - HxH - XX

Two hours later, Gon stopped running to look back at Leorio. In contrast to Killua, who stopped momentarily, Aika did not stop running. Killua clearly hesitated between staying with Gon and keeping up with Aika and the rest, eventually turning around and catching up to the group. Both he and Aika were surprised when the man suddenly shouted and became torn between laughing and cringing when he yelled out his convictions of becoming a hunter. Aika's hands covered her ears as Leorio shot past them cursing the world.

Gon smiled and used his fishing rod to regain the man's poor, poor forgotten suitcase. Killua seemed impressed.

"Cool!"

Gon caught up to them. He ran up to Killua's right while Aika slowed down for a heartbeat so that she was running slightly behind them.

"Let me try that later!" Killua gestured towards Gon's fishing rod.

"If you let me try your skateboard, okay?" Gon replied.

Aika asked from behind them, "Can I try them too?"

Both boys looked back at her, tilting their heads sideways in a similar manner. Gon eyed her hopefully whereas Killua did sceptically.

"Do you have anything we can try?" They inquired simultaneously,

She hummed in wondering, then, without a word, she shot forward, putting distance between them. While sprinting, she rolled up her sleeves, revealing that her ribbons circled up her arms in x patterns, only stopping right below her shoulders. Gon and Killua stared at her in confusion.

Then, without any warning, she grabbed the ends of her ribbons with practised ease, turned around and shot her hands forward, launching the silvery-white stripes towards the boys. By reflex, they ducked to the side, but with a small tug on the strings, the ribbons changed directions, wrapping themselves around their arms. She then planted her feet firmly on the ground and pulled them to her sides.

They were yanked into the air and landed on their feet if only stumbling a little. Their mouths stretched into grins and they made exclamations of wonder.

"How did you do that?!" Killua exclaimed as he examined the silk ribbon, unwrapping it from around his wrist.

 _Thanks to_ Nen _, but I can't say that._

"It's a hunter trick," Aika cheerfully declared, "So you need to pass in order to find out!"

"Eh?! That's not fair!" Gon pouted. Killua glared at her in scepticism.

"How would you know a hunter trick if you're not a hunter?!"

Aika merely pulled her tongue at them and started sprinting, using _Nen_ to accelerate. She ditched the boys behind as they cried out in outrage.

XX - HxH - XX

The boys eventually caught up to her, deciding not to ask her the same question lest she ditches them again.

"Gon, Aika, wanna race to see who finishes first?" Killua asked, eyeing their fellow participants and the accelerating examiner.

"Sure!" She replied,

"The loser has to buy dinner." Gon suggested, sending a determined stare towards the stairs.

"Okay, you're on!"

"Ready… Go!"

All three children started sprinting towards the stairs.

Some distance in the front, Leorio and Kurapika were having a heart to heart. Aika tried to eavesdrop, but before she knew it, they had caught up.

"See you at the goal, Kurapika." Gon exclaimed cheerfully.

"Catch you later old man," Killua smirked.

"I'm not old! I'm a teenager, just like you guys!"

Aika tripped, face planting as she heard Killua's 'Eh?!' and Gon's 'No way!'.

Gon and Killua briefly stopped to pull her back up while Leorio muttered something that resembled suspiciously 'I hate you kids'.

XX - HxH - XX

Their trail was littered with bodies. Participants were dropping left and right, passed out from exhaustion.

"I'm impressed you can keep up with me."

She scoffed while Gon asked 'Really?', seemingly flattered. They ran past a struggling participant.

"Or maybe it's just that everyone else is too slow."

"Nah." She stretched out the 'a', waving her hand up and down. "We just have more energy than a bunch of old dudes."

 _And I just have my aura to boost me._

Gon and Killua laughed at her remark. Killua started complaining about the exam, which in turn led to Gon questioning him about why he wanted to become a hunter, which in turn led to Aika's discovery of Killua's carefreeness and Gon's innocent intentions.

"And you, Aika? Why do you want to become a hunter." Gon asked as Killua seemed to question his reasons.

She cocked her head to the side, then bluntly admitted, "For the money."

Gon and Killua both almost tripped.

"Don't tell me you have the same motivation as that old geezer!" Killua sounded incredulous.

"Well, my mom took care of me my entire life and she worked hard so that both of us could survive. I want to repay her somehow." She shrugged, then frowned. "And to be honest, I have two other reasons, one of which is personal and the other being that my teacher 'highly suggested' I take the exam when I turned twelve." Both Gon and Killua lifted their eyebrows. "Highly suggested, in this context, translating to 'you must take it, or else...'" She trailed off.

"You said you want to repay your mom, but what about your dad?" Killua gave him a smack across the head, scolding him for being insensitive. She shook her head at Gon's question.

"Never known him. My mom probably doesn't know who he is either." She seemed embarrassed before continuing, "I was pretty much an 'accident'."

"What do you mean you were an accident?" Gon was confused.

"Ah, just- nevermind..." She replied in a hurry. _He's still innocent about those kinds of stuff, let's leave it at that_

A series of relieved exclamations brought their attention back to the front, from where a bright light indicated the exit of the tunnel. All three of them smiled and shot forward.

A few stairs below the exit, she gathered aura on the soles of her shoes, stomped her feet down, and leapt over the examiner, crossing the threshold as the boys did the same on each side of Satotz. She landed in a crouch behind the two as they slowed down to a stop and dusted off the dirt on her hands from her landing as the boys started arguing about who was first.

She joined the argument and they kept bickering back and forth until Gon had the idea of asking the examiner who was faster.

"I believe that the girl crossed the threshold slightly before the both of you boys did simultaneously."

"What?!" They both cried out in disbelief. Meanwhile, Aika looked quite smug, having at least the decency to not sing-song 'Told you~' as she wanted to. Gon sighed in defeat.

"Aww man." He and Killua sighed. Killua looked up at her. "Does that mean each of us has to buy you dinner once?"

"Or we could just eat somewhere and I don't have to pay." She suggested, fingers lifted in a 'V' for victory.

As Gon asked Satotz if this was the location for the Second Phase, Aika sniffed the air.

 _It's humid, probably foggy. A lot of grass and the sound of leaves and birds. A forest? No… A swamp_

After some time, she heard the laboured panting of Leorio and Kurapika.

"Hey, Kurapika!" She and Gon chimed,

Said blonde waved at them, "Is this our destination?"

"No, it isn't." Gon replied, Aika stood up and took a few steps away from the group. Over her shoulder, she heard Kurapika state that the fog was lifting up. She faintly registered the participants voicing their awe as the surroundings became clear to them.

Aika sighed at the view.

It remained what she had always been seeing ever since that damned accident.

Black all around her, complete darkness.

* * *

 **Please leave some comments and suggestions so I can improve my writing :)**

 **And thanks for any favourite, follow and review, I really do appreciate them!**


	2. The X Numere X Wetlands

**Author's Note**

 **[Edited 18/11/17]**

 **This was originally part of Chapter 1...** **But not anymore!**

 **(I wanted Chapter 1 to end with the revelation that Aika can't see)**

 **Also, if it wasn't clear,** _Italicized text_ **represents Aika's thoughts. Or _Nen_ concepts.**

 ***Memory Refresher***

 ** _Gyo_ \- Literally translates to 'Focus', Concentration of Aura into one part of the body, most commonly, the eyes (to enhance vision)**

 ** _En_ \- Combination of _Ren_ and _Ten_ that allows user to sense shape and movement of anything that enters the perimeter of their aura**

 **My Author's Note is getting longer and longer .-.**

* * *

As the examiner rambled about the dangers of the forest and the cunning of its creatures, Aika turned back and returned to Gon and Killua's side.

But then some random guy popped out from the side of the tunnel exit, claiming to be the REAL examiner.

Aika had the urge to facepalm. Instead, she plastered on an unimpressed look and was about to proceed towards the accusing man in order to expose him when cards flew past her, grazing her eyelashes and imbuing themselves in the man's arms, chest and face. She frowned, turning towards the killing intent.

A man in a jester attire was standing in the middle of the crowd, flicking his cards from one hand to another. After his round of theatrics at explaining why Satotz was the real examiner, she moved towards the mouthless man while the rest of the participants were engrossed at the display in front of them (birds were voraciously eating the man that had tried to trick them).

"Satotz-san?"

The tall suited man looked at her, "Yes, #348?"

"That man would have been able to tell without attacking that you are the real one, right?" She speculated.

"I believe so. Do you know of _Gyo_?" She responded with a nod. "He could have used that." He paused, "May I ask you a question, miss?" She looked up at him, pleased to have been called 'miss' instead of 'girl' or 'kid', "Go ahead."

"Why have you been using _En_? I believe it to be a waste since none of the circumstances would have required it."

For a moment, she didn't reply, and he thought that she had chosen not to answer until she opened her mouth and replied to him with her very own question;

"You are a smart man, Satotz-san, you must be because not only are you a hunter, but also an examiner. So tell me, why do you think I would 'waste'" She emphasized the words with finger quotes, "So much aura using _En_?"

Satotz' expression didn't change. He pondered for an answer to the mystery he was provided with, however small it was. After a moment, he looked back down at the girl and stared right into her eyes. The answer clicked into place and his eyes widened in understanding and curiosity. He knew, and she knew that he knew; she had felt the small movement of his eyes through her _En_.

He then turned to the participants, provided further warnings to the participants and started running again, debuting another marathon.

XX - HxH - XX

The sound of shoes splattering in the wet marshes drowned out those of the surroundings. The examiner advised the running participants to stay close behind him. Aika heard a masculine voice over all the other people's panting. Her brows furrowed when she realized their intentions of taking advantage of the fog to get rid of a man named 'Hisoka'. She stretched out her _En_ to encompass the surrounding participants and felt the edges of the _Nen_ user in a jester attire. She shook her head; they won't stand a chance... On her left, Killua seemed to realize something as well.

"Gon, Aika," At their simultaneous confirmation, he suggested they get closer to the front. Gon acknowledged his proposition, thinking it was for the purpose of not losing sight of Satotz. Killua immediately replied that the more important thing was to put distance between them and Hisoka. "Staying too close is dangerous. I can smell it." He continued, making Aika tilt her head as Gon sniffed the air and became confused.

"Hmm? I don't think he smells." Gon asserted. He then raised his voice and shouted back at Leorio and Kurapika to move up. Aika pressed her hands against her ears to block out the chipper and loud sound emitted too close to her liking. She kept them there as Leorio barked out an even louder reply. Killua, meanwhile, questioned Gon's inability to sense the tension in the atmosphere,

"Oh, Aika, you okay?" Gon asked when he realized the uncomfortable expression on her face. "Yeah," she dropped her hands when Leorio stopped shouting. "I have an over-sensitive hearing." She heard Kurapika encourage them to continue without him and Leorio. At Killua's spur to go forward, Gon and Aika sped up without any more hesitation.

XX - HxH -XX

It wasn't long before Aika began hearing panicked screams and startled shouts all around them. Gon confirmed it shortly after the cries started. Aika startled when she used En to feel the surroundings, detecting the creature lurking underneath them and immediately leapt backwards. In front of her, Gon and Killua felt the ground cave in slightly and stopped running.

"No! Don't-"

The ground fell beneath the boys' feet. They fell with surprised shouts while Aika stood wide-eyed on the sidelines, then a massive frog emerged from the gigantic hole in front of her and clamped its mouth shut with a loud snap.

"Gon! Killua!"

The amphibian's gaze set on her small frame before it turned around, completely ignoring her, and stomped off towards the forest. Aika's brows furrowed as she jogged after it. She reached into her hoodie's front pocket in which had tucked her ribbons after her earlier demonstration and pulled them out. She was about to launch them towards the animal when it suddenly stopped, turned slightly purple and vomited all over the mossy ground. Her shoulders sagged with relief when she sensed two distinct shapes falling out of it's mouth through the use of _En._

"Guys! You're okay!" Gon gave her an awkward laugh, "Yeah, guess he didn't like the taste of us..."

Killua pulled out a can of soda, "It was this."

Aika recognized it as Tonpa's drink laced with laxative. Gon voiced her thoughts, "Guess he saved us!"

Killua dropped the can, "Well, I could have escaped."

"I'm worried about Leorio and Kurapika." Gon muttered as he looked back at the direction from which screams erupted. Killua stood up, "Forget about them, let's get a move on. We can still catch up to the examiner." He started running, Aika right on his heels. After a minute, she noticed that Gon trailed off to check on his friends.

"Killua, go ahead, we're gonna catch up later." She made a U-turn and started sprinting. A few seconds later, Killua was by her side. "Geez, I didn't even notice he went back. I'll go with you."

Aika slowed down, letting Killua lead the way. They eventually reached a clearing where she heard sounds of struggling and… Hisoka's laughter?

"Gon!" At Killua's cry, she gathered her En and extended it forward like a tunnel instead of spreading it in a sphere around her. What she felt clearly upset her. She reached behind her head and removed one of her two feathers, then threw it like a dart. It whizzed past the spot Hisoka's head had been a split second earlier and embedded itself deeply into tree bark. She immediately turned around, feeling his aura behind them, reached into her pockets and swung her ribbons at him. Killua appeared at his friend's side as soon as Hisoka had dropped him to the ground, hacking and coughing from the lack of oxygen.

"Hmm, your ribbons are controlled by your aura," Hisoka remarked in a voice loud enough so that only she could hear it as he avoided the two white stripes whirling around him. Some of his cards tried to slice at the objects only to be repelled in the direction they were thrown. "And you are using _Shu_ to reinforce them. Are you a manipulator?"

She didn't answer, and he didn't ask further for soon enough, Killua joined the fray, clawing and punching at the jester, who somehow managed to avoid both his attacks and Aika's ribbons. After a little while, a device's alert rang from Hisoka's clothes, making him retreat to the other side of the clearing. "Good, very good. You all pass." He said with a creepy smile, before reaching for his machine. A disguised voice told him to hurry up, as the front liners were almost at the Phase Two site. "Okay, I'll be right there," Hisoka replied, before looking back at the two children glaring at him.

"You can find your own way back, right?" It was only then that she noticed the unconscious ma- teenager that the jester had hoisted on his shoulder. She tensed. "Good Boys." He said at Gon and Killua's incredulous nods, then turned to her. "And Girl."

He walked off while Aika and Killua went back to Gon, and now Kurapika's side. "You okay?" She asked with concern. He gave her a brief nod, still shaken. Kurapika's hand was on his shoulder and the two other kids were crouching in front of them. Aika re-tied the ribbons to her arms with surprising fluency.

"He tried choking you." Killua felt the need to point out after a moment, eyebrows connecting into a frown. Gon shook his head, "I don't think he would have actually harmed me. I don't know why." Aika nodded in agreement, then turned her head towards the direction where Hisoka left them carrying Leorio, "He's strong, he could've killed all of us in a blink of the eye if he wanted to."

At her statement, Killua opened his mouth, about to protest, but then clamped it shut when he realized that even with all his training, he couldn't even land a hit on the guy. "I think he was just playing with us."

"He did say he was 'playing examiner'" Kurapika shook his head and continued, "We should go."

Aika nodded and stood up, paused, then used her aura to find the feather she had thrown at Hisoka. She retrieved it before joining the others, carefully sliding it back under her french braid.

"By the way..." She started, making her three companions look back at her. "You guys noticed, right?" All three nodded.

"The way you fight, it's like you can't see exactly where your opponent is..." Kurapika tentatively inquired. At Aika's nod, Gon added, "Well, I kinda figured that you didn't tell us directly because you wanted to hide it."

Aika smiled, "It's not that I want to hide it, I probably couldn't even if I tried to, I just don't want people to target me because of my handicap, and even if I can deal with most of them if they come my way, I'd rather lay low than to attract attention."

"You're sure you could handle anyone that comes your way?" Kurapika asked, concerned, to which Aika replied sheepishly, "In no way am I saying this to offend you guys, but I have an advantage over every participant, with two exceptions"

Killua's eyebrow lifted, Gon's eyes widened and Kurapika frowned. She acknowledged their inquiring gazes and elaborated, "It has nothing to do with my capabilities. I know for a fact that I am weaker than any of you in terms of combat, but I do have a few cards up my sleeves that can compensate for my lack of vision. You did notice how my ribbons moved unnaturally, right?" At their nods, she sighed, "I have a technique that lets me move them a certain way so I can use them in combat."

"What kind of technique?"

"I'm not supposed to say anything about it. It's a technique usually obtained after getting a Hunter's License and it was only because of luck that I was able to learn it."

The three guys contemplated her answer in silence. Aika lowered her head. _I suppose I shouldn't feel guilty for hiding_ Nen _from them..._

They continued running in silence.

XX - HxH - XX

"This way."

Gon was the head of the line, followed closely by Kurapika, then Killua and Aika. "Can you actually tell?" Kurapika asked.

Gon confirmed, "Leorio's cologne is very unique. I can smell him from a few kilometres away." The same question echoed through all three other people's minds; 'You are not a normal human being. Are you a dog?'. Gon, having not heard their thoughts, continued, "Hey guys, what did Hisoka mean when he said we passed?"

Kurapika was the first to reply, "Hisoka was acting as a judge." The three children parroted; 'a judge?'. "Yeah, he must have his own benchmarks for evaluating power. It's possible he was ascertaining each applicant's strength. Apparently, we must have met his standards."

"I see," Gon said as Killua and Aika made a 'hm' sound. He continued, "but we were powerless to do anything against him." Kurapika's face took a perplexed expression, "Didn't you land your first hit on him?" Gon lifted his head and looked back at them, "Only because I took him by surprise. Besides, Leorio passed even though he lost."

Kurapika contemplated briefly before raising his voice again, "Perhaps he sensed that you were kindred spirits." They repeated once more, 'kindred spirits?'. Kurapika claimed that he doubted Hisoka could qualify as a Hunter, but that he impressed him nonetheless with his speed, agility, and graceful techniques. "It's quite common that those possessing special talents are drawn to others with unique gifts. Most likely, Hisoka's instincts and experience told him that you had the skill and potential to become Hunters." Aika couldn't help but be impressed by his analytical conclusions. Kurapika added, "Killing you now would be a waste. That was his perspective."

Aika repressed a shudder. Kurapika then processed what he had just said, "Oh, I'm sorry! Was that insensitive on my part?"

The three of them shook their heads. "But I was pretty excited, as well." Gon confessed. He continued at the others' confused noise, "I was so scared, I wanted to run away, but I couldn't, and at the same time, I was excited." He turned his head back towards them, "Isn't that strange?"

They didn't reply. After more running, Aika recalled an earlier thought; "Hey Gon, what's your father's name?"

"Ging Freecs." She tripped, catching herself at the last moment. "You know him?" asked Killua.

"That sly little-" She seethed before promptly clamping her mouth shut.

The boys' expressions turned interested. "No way! How did you meet him?" She shook her head at Gon's question, mouth twisting awkwardly.

"I-uh, I tried to... steal his wallet."

It was their turn to trip. "YOu whAt?!" She laughed sheepishly, "Yeah... The story is for another time. Look, we've arrived." She pointed her finger towards the crowd standing in front of large stone gates. Gon and Killua shot her a look that clearly spoke; 'You are so telling us what happened as soon as this phase is over.'

* * *

 **Again, big thank you to anyone who added this to his/her favourites, follows and/or reviewed!**


	3. Forest X And X Cliff

**Author's Note**

 **[Edited 18/11/17]**

 **Just tossing it out now, Aika will not be in a romantic relationship until she's AT LEAST 14 and no characters will have a crush on her until AT LEAST that age.**

 **I know 12 year-olds can date but those kids have other priorities.**

* * *

Okay, the crowd wasn't exactly _standing_ in front of the gates. Most of the participants were either sitting or laying on the ground, and most of them were panting.

"Looks like we made it in time," Kurapika remarked. Gon, however, had other concerns, "Leorio..."

It was then that all three children felt a chill on their backs. Trusting their instincts, they turned around to see Hisoka pointing to his right. Following his finger, their gazes landed on a shirtless man with a swollen cheek and a funny-looking expression.

"Leorio!" Gon and Kurapika hurried to his side while Killua and Aika calmly walked there.

"Man! It stings... Why am I all beat up?" At Leorio's question, the kids seemed confused while Kurapika resisted the urge to facepalm. After Leorio confirmed that his memory was hazy, Kurapika whispered to his three younger friends that they should probably keep themselves from telling him what happened, to which they agreed without hesitation.

The examiner chose that moment to announce that the second phase would occur in the Biska Forest Park in which they were currently in and wished them the best of luck. At that, he headed off to the direction they came from, walking in the same puppet-like manner. The colossal brown gates slowly opened with a deep rumble, making the applicants following Satotz' leaving figure with their eyes turn towards the noise.

They were met with the sight of a wide lane surrounded by fire pits and cooking material leading to a large white stone manor. On the top of the front stairs sat a bulky male and a woman with noticeably revealing attire who invited them to enter.

"Welcome! I'm Menchi, the Second Phase examiner." The colossal man added; "And I'm Buhara, the other examiner."

A second ticked by before a resounding growl startled most of those present. As multiple voices raised to inquire about the sound, the turquoise-haired woman turned to confirm with her partner if he was hungry, to which he replied that he was indeed starving.

"There you have it. Phase Two will involve..." She let the suspense build up before lifting a hand and excitedly announcing; "Cooking!". Some baffled participants expressed their indignation, which she simply shook off and disclosed their task of making a dish that would satisfy their tastes.

"Why do we have to cook?!"

 _Oh come on_ , _It's cooking, how bad can it be?_

Menchi closed her eyes at the participant's question, "That's because, we are," She reopened them with a smile, "Gourmet Hunters!"

The majority of the crowd erupted in disdainful laughter, ridiculing the two examiners for their uncommon Hunter specialty, "So, _gourmet hunters_ , what are we supposed to make?"

The clearly irritated lady called up her partner. He straightened up before declaring, "The required ingredient is pork."

"Pork?" asked a participant, "As in pig meat?"

Buhara explained that they were free to use any species of Biska Forest pigs and that their task was to use the cooking equipment provided in order to prepare it. Menchi added that they would pass only if they both find it tasty and that they will evaluate more than just the flavor. She finished by warning them not to underestimate the intricacies of cooking, "When we've both eaten our fill, the exam will end."

"We get it, we get it." A hefty man waved his hand up and down, "Let's just get started."

"Then the exam's Second Phase," Buhara paused and slapped his hand on his belly, producing a sound reminiscent of a gong's, "Begins now!" The participants promptly turned around and rushed outside of the palisade.

XX - HxH - XX

They spread out... somewhat, searching for pigs in bushes, around trees, someone even called out 'Heeey, Piggy-chaaan...' (To which Aika had to make an inhuman effort not to laugh at).

"Catch a pig and cook it." Leorio absently remarked while looking around, "This is way easier than the First Phase." Aika frowned, "Menchi-san told us specifically not to underestimate the inchi..ca-tries?" Kurapika cut in 'intricacies', "that, of cooking. Maybe she'll be severe on us..." Her attention was drawn to Gon, who had slid down a slope. Killua followed, then Aika, then Leorio and finally Kurapika. Killua's cheerful shout turned into an almost girly scream before he bumped into Gon and the three others collided behind them. "What was that about, Gon?!"

"Found them." He simply said. Killua and Aika 'Huh?'ed and Leorio felt the need to point out, "Pigs!"

Aika's eyes widened, _Nooow waaait a secooond_... Leorio echoed her thoughts, "Wha-, they're chewing on bones." Kurapika looked half awed, half anxious, "Don't tell me... They're carnivores?" As if on cue, the closest pig snapped the bone he was chewing on in half and spotted them, before blowing air from his snout and alerting all the other pigs with a shrill yowl.

They did the one logical thing to do; run for their lives while a pack of giant pigs chased them across the forest. Then they encountered fellow participants and the whole thing turned into a stampede. Some unfortunate victims fell prey to their vicious snouts, getting tossed in the air screaming bloody murder.

Without any warning, Aika leaped into a tree as the ferocious creatures passed underneath her branch. Her hands reached for her feathers before stopping, then grabbing her ribbons instead. Three of the wild animals spotted her presence in the foliage and started bashing their nose into the trunk, hoping for her to fall. She surrounded the bells with her aura and slid them to the tips of her ribbons before bashing the metallic accessories at several spots on the pigs' skin. One of them received a hit to the forehead and shrieked in pain before collapsing with a heavy thud.

Aika nodded to herself, then dropkicked one of the two remaining predators on the same weak spot and simultaneously hit the other with a bell. She picked up the mass of meat and headed back to the cooking site, satisfied to see that the others had also figured it out.

She settled for a station close to Gon and Killua's, cleaned the animal's skin with some water and drained its blood. She removed its eyes and made a few cuts to retrieve its internal organs before promptly placing it over a low fire. She then slowly turned the handle with one hand while the other was peeling an onion. After some time, she removed the pig in order to cut a crisscross pattern onto its back and was astounded to see that some of the participants had already finished and were presenting their somewhat mediocre dishes to the examiners.

 _Are they seriously just roasting the meat?_

After that was done, she placed it back over the fire and continued turning it while washing carrots, tomatoes and bell peppers. She started cutting the vegetables and noticed a few participants following her example, doing more than just cooking the whole pig.

Menchi almost released a sigh of relief when some people presented dishes that were somewhat accompanied by vegetables and took her first bite of an acceptable looking one before tossing it into the air, yelling furiously that it was drowned in tomato sauce. Buhara then dove into the air to catch the literal flying pig, red sauce spilling all over.

Aika placed the meat onto a plate and used a frying pan to fry vegetables with oil and some spices before placing them in an arrangement around and on top of the pig. She grabbed a bowl to stir some sauce while sprinkling some salt and pepper. She vaguely registered that the participant currently presenting his dish was Leorio and heard Menchi's comment, "You put way too much salt." And her following yell, "And is this supposed to be a kiddy meal!?"

She then poured her sauce on top of the meat and added some condiments. Satisfied with the dish, she took the plate and stood behind Kurapika, who was presenting a very colorful platter. She winced at Menchi's outraged 'Yuck' while Kurapika flinched and sweatdropped. She listened to the examiner scolding the blonde and had almost burst out laughing at his defeated face and disappointed murmur; 'No better than #403...'

Aika jumped when Menchi told her to come forth and hurriedly placed the plate in front of the two examiners. The woman tore a piece off with a fork and took a bite before raising her eyebrow.

"Where did you learn to cook this?" She asked. Surprised by her question, Aika stuttered, "A-at home, my mom taught me." Her voice weakened when she felt the movement of Menchi's furrowing brows. The examiner lifted her 'X' sign and looked at her in the eye, "Your dish was one of the best, but too mild, and the meat wasn't cooked enough."

Aika made her way down the stairs and sighed, head dropping down. After two more plates, Menchi and Buhara announced that they were stuffed and that therefore, no one passes. Scandalized voices rose all over the site. Aika grimaced and made her way over to Gon and Killua's corner with her hands over her ears. Her eyes were drawn to a broken station where a burly man stood, claiming that he refused to accept the outcome.

Menchi bit back that none of them were able to make something both she and her partner found delicious. "You almost all did the same thing." She reprimanded, "No effort was made at all until some of you caught sight of a little girl twice younger than most of you adding seasoning to her pork." Aika's eyebrow twitched at the 'little girl' part of the sentence, although she felt smug about the rest of it.

"Pork dishes are all the same." A bald armored guy nonchalantly muttered, incurring the examiner's wrath.

After chewing the guy out, she dropped back into her seat, threw a leg over the other and specified, "In other words, you people don't have the guts to try anything new."

 _Oh, so that's why..._ Aika mused. _I knew she couldn't have disliked mom's recipe!_

The same guy that had broken a station earlier, Todo, started complaining.

 _Ah shit_ , Aika stuck her fingers into her ears in a desperate attempt to protect her abused eardrums when others joined his complaints, creating a ruckus. "Too bad you got stuck with a mere Gourmet Hunter as an Examiner." Was Menchi's reply, "Better luck next year?" Todo's face reddened in anger, "Why, you..." He bolted at the female examiner, "Don't mock me!"

With one shove of the arm, Todo was sent spiraling into the wall, bouncing off and landing on the ground with a thump.

Menchi told Buhara not to interfere. "Well..." He replied, "If I hadn't intervened, you'd have killed him, right?" the woman confirmed and spun a tale about how they frequently face the threat of dangerous beasts in order to gather ingredients. "Every Hunter knows some form of martial art." She indicated the polished knives she was holding in her hand and threw them into the air, spinning the tools on their axis and around herself. "You lack focus and the willingness to experiment." She interrupted her juggling to let the knives fall into her hand and direct the blades at the participants, "That alone disqualifies you from becoming Hunters!" Her speech stunned applicants into shock, caused some to shake their head in dejection and made others close their eyes reluctantly.

Then a voice through a megaphone broke the heavy atmosphere, "That said, it would be excessive to fail every single applicant." Their heads lifted in direction of the sound. A blimp floated overhead, coming to a stop right above the site. "That's the symbol of the Hunters Association!" A man shouted. Another asked rhetorically, "Is it someone from the Selection Committee?"

As he finished his sentence, a figure jumped out from one of the blimp's windows and plummeted to the ground before landing with a thundering 'boom', making earth debris sail across all directions and lifting a dense cloud of dust. The figure of an elderly man wearing a white robe with too-long-and-too-large sleeves stepped out. All eyes were on him, "Wh-who's that geezer?" Aika's eyes were wide and she suppressed the impulse to start shaking.

 _No way... H-his Aura! It's stronger than Ging's!_

Menchi answered for them, "The Chairman of the Selection Committee. He's in charge of the Hunter Exams. Chairman Netero."

"Well, I work behind the scenes." The Chairman merrily said, "I only take action when there's an issue, like now." He looked at Menchi, "So, Menchi-Kun..." At her affirmation, he continued, "You failed all of the applicants because you disapproved of their reluctance to try new things?"

"No, sir..." She then explained that she lost her cool when one of the candidates insulted Gourmet Hunters and took it out on all the other participants by making the Exam harder than necessary.

"In other words, you're aware that the conditions you've set for passing this exam were unacceptable."

"Yes sir, when cooking is involved, I lose control. I'm unqualified to be an examiner... I will resign my current position, so please redo the Second Phase!"

Netero reconsidered for a moment, then argued that it would be difficult to find another Examiner on such short notice. Menchi apologized and agreed to the chairman's compromise; she would continue serving as an examiner, but she would also participate in the test she proposes.

"Then the new challenge will be... boiled eggs!" The participants voiced their puzzlement while she ignored them and asked the chairman to take them to Mount Split-In-Half.

XX - HxH - XX

The crowd was standing at the edge of the huge rift breaching the mountain at the middle.

"Look down there," Menchi told the participants. Aika was crouching at the two other boys' side, head downward and eyes narrowed.

"What is that?"

"A Spider Eagle's web" Menchi answered the participant. A strong gust of wind surged upwards, causing Aika to topple backward with a small yelp. She noticed the man on her left in the same predicament. "Look below the web. Those are Spider Eagle eggs. They build their webs in deep ravines to protect their eggs from predators. This makes their eggs one of the most difficult ingredients to obtain. Their eggs are also known as dream eggs."

 _LOOK below the webs. Great._

"W-wait a minute... You don't mean we..." The man started, sweat streaming down his face.

"I sure do." Menchi took a step towards the chasm and leaped forward with her arms outstretched on her sides. She fell into the ravine and grabbed a string, spinning around it before stopping. She stayed suspended there for a moment before letting go, falling in a star position. When she reached one of the bundles, she tore an egg from the web and continued falling even deeper when suddenly, a strong rush of air gushed up, taking her with it. The chairman explained that the ravine had updrafts that helped the hatched chicks fly to the webs while she landed safely behind the awestruck participants.

Aika bit her lips together as she watched her friends dive into the crevasse with enthusiasm. She took a deep breath and took a reluctant step forward when other participants plunged after the four guys. "Wait!" Menchi exclaimed as more and more people jumped, "I haven't finished explaining everything!" One of them clipped her, pushing her off the ground. She bit back a scream as she hurriedly grabbed the edge of the rock, pulling herself back up.

 _Too many people_... She decided to wait when she heard a loud ripping sound. She heard the screams of three early jumpers before the remaining participants let go of the string at Gon's signal and were pushed back up by the updraft. They landed safely around her.

"And the rest of you?" She lifted her head at the examiner's question and gave a nervous laugh. "I'm going." The examiner nodded and turned towards the rest of the participants, "I guess all of you quit then."

 _Okay, you can do this, it'll be over in an instant_. She inhaled deeply and flashed her _En_ in a direct line, encompassing everything from ten meters downwards. She felt the Spider Eagle's strings stretched across the two sides of the canyon and took her ribbons off her arms, letting the bells fall down towards the webs that were close to the side of the canyon. She then tugged upwards and wound one of them around one of the strings. She gave it a test-pull and jumped in surprise when the string gave out with a snap.

 _Oookaaaay, it was probably already weak from all the people hanging from it earlier. It's okay, it's okay, it'sokayitsokGOSH no it's not okay why am I doing this._

She repeated her earlier actions and tied the ends of her ribbons on her wrists before jumping off and for a moment she froze. She was falling and her _En_ frantically responded to her panic, flashing out in a ten meters wide sphere until she realized what she was doing. She forcefully regathered her aura around her body as she felt the brutal pull on her wrists, stopping the rest of her body.

The string stretched downward and sprung back up, jolting her frame and she bit back a scream. Her fingers tightened around the white silk and she absently noticed their trembling. She breathed in shakily and waited until a slight breeze brushed against a strand of hair that fell from her braid. She let go of her ribbons, once again free falling and grabbed an egg as she went down. Relief flooded her when she felt a strong wind propelling her back up and she hurriedly reached for the ledge. As soon as her shoes touched the ground, she collapsed into a shaking mess. _Why is everything spinning?_

"Aika!" Gon crouched down beside her, "You got one! Wait, I'll put it in the cauldron with the others." He grabbed the Spider Eagle egg she brought up and walked off. She nodded and flopped back down.

"Are you okay?" She recognized Kurapika's voice. "Never. Doing. That. Again." Her friend laughed at her exaggerated traumatized expression and she smiled back. After taking a few breaths and calming down her racing heart, she sat up and hooked her knees between her arms. She laughed weakly and sarcastically remarked,

"You'd think that a blind person wouldn't be scared of a bottomless chasm." Kurapika stayed silent, hoping she would elaborate, and she did; "I don't like heights. I can't see what I could hold onto if ever I fall."

"It's okay to be scared." Kurapika patted her on the shoulder awkwardly, not knowing what else to say.

"Looks like the eggs are ready, you should go get yours." Kurapika 'Ah'ed in realization and pivoted on his heels to go back to the others. "And please leave mine in a bit longer!" Aika shouted at his back. He simply lifted his thumb back at her while accepting the egg Gon held out to him.

When she heard another updraft, she stood up and walked towards the cliff again. Her pearly ribbons were fluttering in the strong wind, silky fabric within her reach. She simply stretched her hands towards them and tugged them off the web before shoving them in her hoodie's single front pocket instead of tying them back on her arms.

She would do that when she'd stop shaking.

* * *

 **Thanks to anyone who reads, favourites, follows and/or reviews this!** **You're the reason this particular plot bunny won't leave my thoughts :)**

 **Next Chapter is coming in a week or so...**


	4. An X Unfair X Duel

**Author's Note**

 **[Published 18/11/17]**

 **I was reading a Naruto fanfiction and I realized** **that I am still unsatisfied with my writing style...**

 **I'll write something and publish it when I'm satisfied with it, only to realize afterwards how many imperfections there are.**

 **English is not my first language and I've only been reading long stories in English for the last two years, so I am still unaccustomed to using much advanced vocabulary in my writing.**

 **So bear with me, I'll probably have a lot of random updates that aren't new chapters, just so I can correct mistakes, add metaphors and etcetera...**

 ***Memory refresher***

 _ **Ko -**_ **Concentration of one's aura into a single body part, Combination of _Ten_ , _Zetsu_ , _Ren_ , _Hatsu_ and _Gyo_**

* * *

All three of them were crouched behind counters and closing in on their target.

"Now!"

Aika giggled as she and the two boys sprint past the cooks, making a beeline towards the meat. As they each grabbed a still warm piece, she felt one of the chefs take hold of her hood. Beside her, Gon and Killua were lifted by the back hem of their shirts.

"Hey! You kids can eat in the cafeteria, now out!"

They were tossed out the door.

They explored some more, running around the hallways and poking their heads in some of the rooms, disrupting their occupiers. All of a sudden, Gon darted towards the windows, Killua and Aika following his steps.

"Woah!"

Aika approached her head to the window, her eyes directed on the landscape below

"It looks like the ground is covered in diamonds!"

Killua realized what they were doing and turned his head towards Aika, tilting it slightly in an apologetic way. She smiled and shook her head.

"It's fine."

They sat on the bench, arms leaning on the window sill. After a moment of silence, Gon asked Killua about his parents.

"Hmm... They're alive." He paused, "Probably..."

"What do they do?"

"They're assassins."

"Huh?! Both of them?!" She and Gon asked at the same time. Gon's voice was curious while Aika's was surprised,

Killua looked at the two of them, incredulous.

"That's your first reaction?" He laughed, "You guys really are riots!"

"Huh?" Gon sounded confused while Aika scoffed.

"You're the first people who've ever responded seriously."

"You are telling the truth, aren't you?" Gon asked

"What makes you think that?" Killua stared at them, curiosity apparent in his gaze.

"Just a hunch." Gon answered while Aika shrugged and took her ribbons out of her pocket, tying them back to her arms.

"That's weird..." Killua cupped his chin with his hands. "People only like me because they can't ever tell whether I'm serious or not."

Gon made an intrigued noise, pressing Killua to continue.

"I'm from a family of assassins. So they're all assassins and they have really high hopes for me..." He shifted, his posture speaking volumes of upset he was, "But I can't stand it! Who wants to have their life planned out for them? When I told them I wanted to decide my own future, they all snapped!"

"Yikes..."Aika frowned, "But if they're all assassins, isn't it dangerous for you to be here?"

Killua smirked, "Please, they all say I have the potential to become a top assassin. I can look out for myself."

"Are you sure?" Aika had a smug look on her face, "This isn't just any exam; it's a Hunter exam. You're surrounded by _Hunters_. If one holds a grudge against assassins, you're screwed."

Killua scoffed, making Aika lift an eyebrow, "Still unconvinced?"

"I can defend myself." He declared with confidence.

"Not against a full-fledged hunter." Her mouth's corners lifted into a sly smile, "Hell, I'm not even officially a hunter yet, and I bet I can still kick your ass."

Killua sharply turned his head towards her, narrowing his eyes. Detecting no hostile intent, he grinned and inquired,

"Is that a challenge?"

Gon looked between the two of them in silent concern. Aika's smile widened, "You're on!"

In the corner of the hallway, a figure lingered, watching the three children's interactions. A silent chuckle, "This will be entertaining..."

XX - HxH - XX

They stood at the opposing ends of an empty gymnasium, facing each other like two gladiators in an arena.

"Okay, so the rules, " Aika declared while her hands retrieved her ribbons from her pocket. "No injuring worse than bruises, no killing, no shouting and no damaging the vicinity."

"First one to land a 'fatal' hit wins?" Aika nodded, answering his question.

No signal was needed. In the blink of an eye, he was behind her. Through her _En_ , she sensed his hand slash towards her nape and swiftly ducked, letting it slice through thin air above her head. She immediately retaliated, swiping at his shins in an attempt to knock him down. He jumped over her leg and threw his fist into a hook.

Their fight ascended into a flurry of kicks, punches and dodges.

Killua's movements were sharp and agile, every jab precise and calculated while Aika's limbs smoothly flowed around his attacks with astounding grace, dodging every hit without a care in the world, almost as if she'd expected them. The bells around her wrist rattled with each motion, a soft chime reverberating around the room.

Each time he threw an attack towards her, she leapt, bent or twisted out of the way before throwing an attack of her own. It quickly became evident that she never blocked, but merely evaded his every attack. Even if Killua avoided almost all of her hits, he became very aware that the impact was weak, all grace and no power.

He also noticed that she was completely different from when she had fought Hisoka, where she seemed to not know where he was and swung her ribbons blindly. This time, against him, she seemed to know _exactly_ where he was, what he was doing, where to aim. His knuckles slowly whitened and a frown appeared over his eyes.

To an outsider, they would seem as if they were dancing around each other in an elegant, elaborate choreography.

They remained in a stalemate for a few minutes, until Killua's eyes narrowed and flared a hardened glint, unseen by his opponent.

However, Aika sensed it just as it happened.

 _Oh shit, he's pissed._

Just like that, their waltz became a brawl. Killua's speed became lightning fast, his attacks turned more vicious and his strikes gained force. Her previously graceful movements became chaotic and her breathing, erratic. At some point, he landed a hit on her and she stumbled, maneuvering her body to catch herself at the last moment. Killua's mouth twisted into a victorious smile. He had the upper hand for about twelve seconds when she avoided another hit and retreated swiftly into a corner, turning around to face him. He was quick to follow her and was almost upon her when it happened.

Her silver bells chimed and Killua froze as the noise reached his ears, a tremor running through his entire being.

It was only for a split second, but it was enough. Aika's body had slammed into his, sending both of them to the ground. She held an elbow over his neck as the back of his head slightly ached from crashing against the wooden floor. They stared at each other wordlessly before she removed her arm and stood up, extending her hand to him. He caught it and she pulled him upright.

"What did you do?" Aika shifted her gaze to the floor and took a deep breath. At her silent answer, he continued, "You shook your bells, and I couldn't move."

"... I can't say-."

"Why can't you?" He snapped, "You're not supposed to see, yet you knew exactly where I was and where to hit! That technique of yours-"

"I told you!" She hissed, cutting him off, "I can't tell anyone! I-"

"Uh, guys?"

They both jumped at Gon's voice and only then noticed that he was standing barely an inch beside them. "Perhaps we should discuss this more... calmly?"

Both combatants sighed, "He's right, let's go somewhere else."

Killua nodded at her suggestion and lead the way outside the gymnasium, Gon right on his heels. Aika lagged behind them. She was about to close the door when she felt the fourth person in the room shift out of his hiding spot and turned around.

"That use of _Hatsu_ was uncalled for." Chairman Netero's tone was too cheerful to fit his reprimanding words.

"At least I didn't use _Ko_." Her voice was shaky in spite of her so she turned and was about to go through the door when a hand pressed down onto her shoulder. She tensed.

"You've said more than enough already. You do realize you cannot let people without a hunter license find out about _Nen_?"

Aika turned to face him and directed her irises at his. "Let's be real here." Her voice hardened, "You've got an assassin who is obviously skilled enough to make it into the ranks of Hunter and the son of freaking Ging Freecs, who, if he's anything like his father, will certainly pass with flying colours. It won't be long until they learn it anyway."

Even though her unseeing eyes were foggy and unfocused, the old man could see her unrelenting conviction in them.

"Aika?" It was Gon's voice.

"Coming!" She shot him one last glance before turning on her heels and hastily catching up to the boys.

Chairman Netero stood in contemplative silent before shaking his head, "So that's why Ging decided to teach her..."

XX-HxH-XX

Killua slammed the door shut, "So, this good enough?"

They were in a small room with white painted walls and dark wooden floorboards.

At Gon and Aika's nods, he turned towards the latter and asked, "What can you tell me about that hunter technique?"

"Not much aside from what you already know... As I said, I can't divulge too much information about it. It's that technique that allows me to know where I am and where everyone else is, that's all I can say."

Killua stared at her wordlessly.

"Why aren't you allowed to tell us more?" Gon asked for him.

"I wasn't supposed to learn it in the first place."

They took her half answer silently.

"Punch me."

"Huh?" She blinked at Killua.

"Just do it."

Her fist shot towards his face and was blocked by his hand.

"See? Weak." At her spluttering protest, he calmly continued, "Did anyone ever teach you how to fight?"

Aika shook her head, "I was mostly taught how to get out of the way. My teacher told me my flexibility and agility are excellent, but my raw strength? Not so much."

"Gon, you try."

"You sure? I could hurt you."

Killlua scoffed, "In your drea-"

He nearly got punched in the nose.

XX-HxH-XX

Two hours later, both Gon and Aika knew how to punch and kick efficiently.

"Alright. Now, we got to work on your movements. Both of you are wasting _way_ too much energy for nothing. And Aika, you become clumsy when your opponent's faster than you."

"But I wanna sleeeeep..." Aika whined from where she was lying on the ground.

"How did you even marathon that far if you get tired this easily?"

Aika glared at him, not answering his question. She rolled into a sitting position and crawled to the corner, where she pressed her back against the wall and closed her eyes.

"Well Gon, let's work on that while Aika gets her beauty sleep."

What he didn't know was that Aika wasn't sleeping; she was meditating to recover her aura. Fighting for this long exhausted her deeply, especially after using _En_ for an extended fight twice in a row.

All three of them ended up falling asleep after another hour.

* * *

 **First plot deviation!**

 **Also, you'd think that after reading so many fanfics with fights and actions, I'd have no problem with writing a fight scene.**

 **WRONG**

 **Idk if it's obvious, but I have no idea what I'm doing.**

 **Thanks for everything~**


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